1) 666 is a biblical allusion to a man’s name in the Old Testament: Adonikam.

2) The Holy Spirit inspired this Riddle to strengthen the faith of the generation alive in the End Time fighting against unprecedented apostasy (2 Th. 2:3-4; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 4:2). and mockery of God’s Word the Bible (Jude 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Pet. 3:3). Adonikam’s name will be the actual name of the Beast that rises and the solution indicates both Providential Preservation and Inerrancy of Scripture are true, as both 666 and 667 are correct and God prevented copiests from reconciling the number as modern textual critics are wont to do.

We solve riddles by heeding its details, and spotting any double entendre hinting at a solution. For example, Samson’s riddle (Judges 14:14) contained the solution, honey eaten from the carcass of a lion (Judges 14:8-9, 18):

So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle. (Jdg. 14:14) NKJ

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Rev. 13:18) KJV

John said 666 is the number OF a man, not the number of a name. That’s double entendre, 666 springs from the man, 666 exists because of what the man is or does, it is not his name in code. We must pay attention to the detail with strictness, John insisted we COUNT to arrive at 666, that is one half of the equation. To solve the riddle we must deduce the missing half of the equation that equals 666 and then determine what man caused that calculation to exist, for it is “OF” him. Therefore Gematria, numerology, symbolic meaning, etc. are completely irrelevant.

Lets review other details to find what else is implied in the wording:

This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Rev. 13:18) ESV

Christians seek wisdom in scripture, therefore John’s call for it must involve the Bible. Adonikam is the only Bible name of a man 666 and a calculation point to that everyone (3588 ὁ ho) understanding the Bible can find. Once directly (Ezra 2:13) and once after a calculation (Neh. 7:18) subtracting Adonikam’s father who must have had the same name, so 667-1=666 still points to Adonikam. The only man directly causing 666 to exist and also the calculation resulting in 666 to exist, is the man Adonikam. As John thus says he is the Beast, 666 is the number OF the Beast also:

The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six. (Ezr. 2:13) KJV

The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven. (Neh. 7:18) KJV

Having these two verses point to the same name is like having “two witnesses” establishing the matter (Deut. 19:15).

Adonikam alone is the elegant solution, it alone assembles John’s puzzle following all his requirements and still satisfies his expectation anyone with Bible wisdom will discover the one name he had in mind when he penned this riddle.

Not so Kabbalistic Gematria. The pieces just do not fit, and regardless how it is tweaked, so many names are produced it will never satisfy John’s expectation only one name will result and the probability the reader will pick the name John had in mind is infinitesimal.